Losing Your True Inner Self
by Lady Sandromeda Snupin
Summary: Yu has finished school and is now moving to Inaba to get a new job. That way he can be closer to his friends. But one of his friends is going through a tough time. Kanji is lost in himself and is struggling to cope. In the midst of everything that is going on maybe the only person that can help, is Kanji himself.
1. Chapter 1

The train journey had been a long one. It would have been even longer if he had stayed awake for the whole trip. Yu had finished his schooling in his home town and had finally decided what he wanted to do with the next few years of his life. His parents had been making plans to move overseas permanently, but Yu decided that that wasn't for him.

To be honest, he didn't actually have a plan exactly; it was more of a good idea. All he knew was that his time spent in Inaba had been the best and that he couldn't wait to get back there. His parents had been more than understanding, giving him plenty of money to go towards a house and some of the bills. So, so far his plan involved staying at Dojima's until he found a unit and then finding a job…somewhere. He had done some odd jobs before but now he needed something more substantial, something that could actually pay the bills he would get in his near future.

Yu leaned back in his chair. Honestly, he wasn't fussed with what job he got because he knew that whatever the little town threw at him, he could handle it. He just wanted to see his friends and for that, he would work anywhere.

When he finally arrived at the station he was glad to be able to stretch his legs properly. Just when he thought he could get some fresh air-glomp. Gah! He was surrounded!

"Senpai, why didn't you tell us you were coming back?" Rise squealed in his ear. Standing in front of him to kiss his cheek.

"Oi, share him 'round." Chie demanded, claiming his left arm and holding on whilst Yukiko grabbed his right.

"Do you know how _hard_ we had to pester Dojima san to get the info from him." Yosuke said with mock irritation, clapping him on the back.

"Wah ha ha, I missed you so much sensei! You stayed away for so long." Teddie sobbed, tears falling freely from his huge eyes. He squeezed his way past Rise to hug him around the waist quite tightly, sobbing even harder. Naoto looked concerned as Yu's eyes bugged out and he found in hard to breathe.

"Are you ok senpai?"

Considering that all this happened within 10 seconds, Yu could only manage to choke out "help!"

Realising that they were squishing their friend, they all let go. Teddie took a little longer than the rest and had to have both Chie and Yukiko pull him off his sensei. Fresh air.

"Does that mean I get a turn now?" he looked past his friends to see sweet little Nanako tapping her foot, waiting for her turn.

"Go give your big bro a hug." Dojima said, walking back from the car parked a little ways away, obviously giving everyone else time to say hi.

Nanako had gotten bigger since the last time he saw her and her hair was longer, but she still gave him the same hugs that she used to when they were living together. Yu squeezed her tight and leaned back, half lifting her off of her feet.

"Ah! Put me down! You're as silly as ever." Nanako laughed.

Dojima clapped him on the back and pulled hum in for a rough hug as soon as Yu let Nanako go. It was nice to be back…but something wasn't quite right.

"Alright, you've said hello, let's give the kid a break." Dojima scolded. "I only told you he was coming because you forced it out of me but that doesn't change the plan. We're gonna head home so Yu can rest, then we go from there. You can make your own plans after that." Dojima rubbed the back of his neck. Obviously he'd been given a lot of harassment from his friends and was looking forward to a rest too.

"Right, you heard the man. Now, where did my bag go?" Yu looked around. He could have sworn his bags were only a foot away, resting on the platform next to his feet. Now, there was just concrete.

"Kanji already helped me put them in the car." Dojima said, fishing in his pocket for his keys. After finding them he said, "Alright, let's go home."

"Alright partner, we'll text you in the morning to make plans." Yosuke said.

"Yeah, see you senpai." Rise said, giving him another kiss on the cheek.

After they had said their goodbyes and he had settled himself in the car next to Nanako, he realised what had been out of place. Kanji hadn't said hi. He voiced his concerns with Dojima, whose face turned quite tense as he concentrated on the road. Dojima had taken to Kanji like a kind of uncle, once he learned he wasn't getting into trouble anymore, he figured the guy needed a hand in case someone miss judged him again.

"Kanji's not been himself recently; he's going to need some time."

"Did something happen when I was gone?" Yu asked, worry etched into his voice.

"His mum slipped down some stairs in the winter…she can't walk anymore." Nanako said sadly. Yu could feel the pain surrounding the conversation; he could only imagine what it would be like for Kanji.

"Kanji has taken on a lot, he's looking after his mum when she needs it, minding the store half of the time _and_ he's got a second job. He's trying to get together some extra money so that they can renovate the house so its wheelchair friendly. Poor kid has been so busy he's lost himself. Even in his free time he hasn't been hanging out with his friends, he just keeps to himself. It's not healthy." Dojima rubbed his eyes, pulling into the driveway. "He said he felt out of place, that he didn't want to ruin the mini welcome back party, so he went home."

"But I missed him too. I would have liked to have said hi." Yu sounded disappointed. Were the guys keeping in touch with him via phone, or had they just left him to it. It was horrible to imagine coping with something like that all on your own. Yu knew you could act tough, but really what he needed now was a hug and someone to tell him 'it will all be alright'.

"I know," Dojima grabbed one of his bags whilst Yu grabbed the other and they headed inside, Nanako following behind. "It's almost as if he's ashamed of himself and doesn't want anyone to see it. Maybe just give him some time."

'I will give him until tomorrow.' Yu thought. If Kanji had been like this for a while, then it was time to sort things out. He knew he couldn't change the Tatsumi's situation but maybe he could make Kanji feel better in himself. Hopefully, with time and effort, the old Kanji would come back.


	2. Chapter 2

Just as they had said, all of his friends (except Kanji) texted him first thing in the morning.

"What are you doing today? Where are we going? Are you looking for a house or a job today? Or both?" Yu sighed; it was too early to make decisions. So, he didn't. Instead he went downstairs for some breakfast and to look at the newspaper. Surely there would be something in there to help him decide. You could see that Dojima had been through the paper first as there were red lines over a lot of the writing. There was, however, one entry covered with highlighter, complete with little stars surrounding it (he guessed that Nanako had put them there). After looking at the entry himself he was sure, it was time to phone the real estate

After the paperwork had been completed and the keys handed over, all that was left to do was to give the place a clean and bring in his stuff. Considering that he didn't have much stuff and the house came with all of the important furniture, he figured he'd clean after getting moved in. the place was for rent, which was ideal as his plans weren't set in stone. It just made things more affordable until he got a steady job.

Dojima and Nanako left him to it, telling him that he was welcome to come over and stay whenever he wanted to. He also got around to texting his friends, telling them that he was busy setting up his new house. He sneakily 'forgot' to tell them the address.

The house was similar to Dojima's though it was slightly smaller in scale and, with a lack of nick knacks and other cluttering furniture, it was actually quite roomy. He now had a home so tomorrow; he would look for a job.

He had just started sorting out the bathroom gear upstairs, when he heard a thunk come from somewhere downstairs. Instantly, he was on edge. He had no spare keys and all of the doors were locked as he was unsure what the neighbourhood was like. He quickly grabbed the nearest 'weapon', which just so happened to be a hairdryer, and quickly made his way towards the top of the stairs. He could hear coughing and the occasional mumble of words and thought it was odd for a burglar to be so noisy. Still, the person was an intruder and should be confronted. Luckily, his courage was high enough to pull this off successfully. He saw a figure in the lounge room and, before asking questions, jumped on them from behind, the intruder letting out a startled yelp. He managed to push the person to the ground and turned them over, brandishing his hairdryer. He squinted his eyes in surprise and suspicion.

"Kanji!?" There was no doubt, it was Kanji, but by the way he was dressed, he started to believe otherwise. 'Kanji ' was wearing a huge police shirt with a hole in the middle, under that he wore what must have been pants, but they were so big they hung off of his lean frame.

"My god, senpai, you surprised me! In fact, I'd say you _blew me away_." Kanji said in a silkier, more feminine voice than usual, eyeing off the hairdryer before coughing quite violently, a pained look crossing his face. "Honey, not that I don't like being close to you, but you're squishing me." And that he was. It was a surprise the man could breathe at all. Yu got off Kanji slowly, still holding the hairdryer just in case, looking at his intruder quizzically. Then it clicked. The police clothes with the hole in the middle, the feminine voice and attitude and how he got into the house without a key.

"You're Kanji's shadow?" Yu asked to make sure.

"Sure am sweetie. Could you help me up please…" when Yu hesitated he added, "you wanna know why I'm here, right?" Yu nodded. "Well Hun, I'm not going to tell you on the floor." Yu got the point. As he eased shadow Kanji to his feet, he accidentally pulled too hard, expecting more resistance. This Kanji was lighter than he expected. Kanji ended up in Yu's arms panting slightly, leaning heavily on him as his knees seemed unable to hold himself up. He coughed a little before sagging. Yu lifted Kanji into a nearby armchair, feeling a little worried. Shadow Kanji looked about ready to pass out. Maybe it wasn't safe for him to be on this side. Ah...but then Teddie's fine.

"I'm sorry; I'm not what I used to be." He said sadly. "That's why I'm here. I was ever so lucky to have found your TV, god only knows what would have happened if it was Yosuke's!" he pulled a face.

"Do you want a drink?" Yu was more than a bit confused but that didn't mean he couldn't be polite.

"Naw, how sweet." He cooed. "But no, luv. I do need to ask a favour though. It took forever to try and find a way to get here and I kinda need to stay a while. Can I crash with you, pretty please?" he tried to give Yu puppy dog eyes but it didn't look quite right.

"I don't want to sound rude, but I'd kinda like to know what you're doing here before I decide to take up a new roommate." Yu said, sitting in another armchair opposite Kanji. Kanji stared at the ground, looking thoroughly depressed.

"Do you remember when you were in my dungeon, the things I said to your Kanji?" Yu nodded. He could never forget what his friends other sides were like. "Well, I'm afraid Kanji twisted my words somewhat. Ya know 'it's not about men or woman, but being shit scared of getting rejected' kinda thing." Kanji waved his hands about, putting on a mock tough Kanji voice, which again didn't sound right. Yu nodded again. Kanji _had_ said that. "But that is totally _not_ what I meant. Sure, it was a part of the whole thing, but he totally swept under the rug the part about being gay." Kanji crossed his legs effeminately, getting a little caught in his oversized pants before continuing. "At the time I was _so_ tired and he _had_ accepted something in his soul which had been causing him trouble. I kinda figured he'd remember the rest and link things together on his own. That little 'detective' ruined my plans though. It was _totally_ a trap!" Kanji looked insulted. "It just made Kanji even more confused. I know that she may be a good friend, but all other feelings I had for her left as soon as she grew a pair of boobs." Yu was slightly surprised; he'd figured that Kanji was quite open when it came to romance, but apparently not. Shadow Kanji had the facts; this was what Kanji was really like.

"So, what does this have to do with you being here? I know it's a concern but he'll figure it out, as you said…right?"

"I don't think so anymore. Before, he used to take note of his hidden feelings for men and store them in the back of his mind because they were too much for him to deal with." Kanji looked down, his eyes sad. "After he battled with me it changed slightly. Instead he let it, just sort of…go. Like he'd think about it then forget about it, like it wasn't important. Like he was actively saying 'no'." He paused. "Shadows come out because there's a part of ourselves that we hide and refuse to believe in- not because we outright refuse to accept it. A shadow need something to cling to, slowly that side of Kanji will disappear."

"How do you mean disappear?" Yu asked. He was sure that Kanji was okay with who he was. Deciding that he didn't want this to be a part of him, said otherwise.

"It makes it even harder now that Ma is in such bad shape. He doesn't want to let her down and be a bad son. I think that's partly why he's making such a drastic decision. What he is doing is so dangerous though." Kanji was delaying his answer and that made Yu even more worried. "For example, if Naoto decides that she's male, sooner or later she will be, and that can be damaging to both her mental and physical health. She would be forever disappointed, she would lose herself." Kanji was starting to get frantic, his eyes were wide and his hands kept running through his hair. "Kanji…if he denies me, he will _never_ have a good relationship and he will feel forever empty inside. I've seen bad things happen to people who lose their true inner selves, their shadows, their personas." There it was, why he was so distressed.

"What will happen to you?" Kanji sobbed into his hands.

"I will die and he will no longer have the support he needs to get through daily life. He will have nothing and so many people can't stand to live with that." Kanji sobbed some more, his tears dripping down his cheeks and onto the carpet. Yu leaned forward and rubbed his back before starting when kanji choked out from behind his hands,

"The simple fact is, if I die, kanji will follow. It might not be immediate…but he…we… will die."


	3. Chapter 3

Merry Christmas to all my followers! Sorry this wasn't up earlier, I had way too much sun. FYI, I live in Australia and it was like 40 degrees Celsius. Well, anyway...good timing, enjoy your gift. As an added bonus and a thank you for your patience, you get an extra chapter. Yay!

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The frightful words hit Yu like a ton of bricks. He thought maybe this was some kind of odd joke or that, if Shadow Kanji _was_ serious, it wouldn't be life threatening.

Kanji looked a mess; his face was stained with tears, his eyes red and puffy. Yu could now understand how desperate Kanji was getting, he looked quite ill.

"Kanji?" Yu asked softly. Kanji raised his tired eyes to meet his.

"Hm?"

"I know we need to make plans, but how about you have a bath first. I'll go and find you some clean clothes, ones that will fit you better. Do you need a hand to get up?"

"No thanks dear. I think the TV travel just took a lot out of me. I'm sure I can manage on my own." Yu could sense that there was a bit of lying at hand, but Kanji did manage to get himself to his feet without aid.

"The bathroom is up the stairs, I _think _I unpacked the soap." Yu muttered, mostly to himself.

"I'm sure I'll find it." It took a while but, slowly, He made his way up the stairs, hand firmly clasped onto the railing, just in case. Yu rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands. A lot of stuff had landed on his plate and he had only just come back to Inaba.

When he heard the water running through the pipes he realised that he had better find those clothes for Kanji. Knowing this Kanji, he wouldn't be embarrassed by nudity and would happily prance around the apartment in his birthday suit. Shuddering at the thought, he went to his bedroom upstairs and started to rummage in some of the boxes he had yet to unpack.

Kanji was bigger than him, both in his body type and height. He had to take that into account rather than just put him in anything. He soon found a pair of baggy jeans which he rarely wore and a white ¾ sleeve shirt that was bigger than he needed. As for underwear… he was sure he had a new pack here somewhere, he just hoped that they'd fit him. This would have to do until he could buy Kanji some new clothes tomorrow. Gods, how were they going to leave the house without people wondering why there are two Kanjis' in town? He was just grateful both Kanjis' weren't blonde anymore and had gone back to their natural black. They had a better chance of blending at least. Either way, until he could be made over, Shadow Kanji would just have to wear a baseball cap and sunglasses.

With the possibly ok clothes in his arms, Yu tentatively knocked on the bathroom door, which was pulled to.

"Come in!" Kanji sang.

Still debating on whether or not he should close his eyes, Yu pushed open the door. It was bubble heaven, thank god, and all the 'must not be seen' bits were all very well covered. Though the amount of bubble bath mixture used was quite unnecessary.

"Couldn't find the soap luv, but I found bubbles!" he lifted a very ladylike leg out of the water and crossed it onto his other knee, taking a handful of bubbles and blowing them into the air, giggling to himself. They went further than expected, landing directly on the end of Yu's nose. Yu puffed them off of his face, thinking to himself. It didn't usually show in the Kanji Yu had befriended, but Shadow Kanji was a little immature at heart and still had the childhood urge to play. Yu's Kanji was mostly just…competitive, trying to make himself better, rather than just enjoying the moment. Really Yu guessed that meant, deep down, Kanji just wanted to enjoy his first years out of school. Wait a minute! Kanji was in the year below him at school...that meant…

"Hey Kanji, did um, my Kanji drop out of school?" Shadow Kanji looked sad and sunk a little lower into the bubbles.

"First off, let's make this whole thing easier. Kanji from this world is called 'Kanji'. People will be weirded out if you call him anything else. Let's call me… 'Kaoru'. Hopefully that will help prevent confusion. Is that ok with you Big Guy?" Kanji- no, Kaoru raised his eyebrow in question, the movement somehow creating a more seductive than questioning look.

"I suppose. It will be hard to get used to, since you look just like Kanji. But what about-" Kaoru cut him off.

"He did, there was no other way. He didn't have the best record even though he was improving and, after consulting with the headmaster, he found out that he didn't have the grades or attendance to pass anyway. They just didn't tell him because they thought it would be safer for the public if he was kept off of the streets and in school. He was _**gutted**_ that all of his efforts over the past year had been for nothing. He thought that he was changing for the better, that maybe he could finally accept himself because the people around him were starting to accept him. What a joke!" Yu was shocked, but then Kaoru explained. "If he doesn't accept _himself_ he'll have no confidence, no belief in who he is. How can anyone accept him for who he is when he doesn't even have faith in that person? No faith in me." He added sadly. He dunked his head under the bubbly water, coming up with a flick of his hair, shakily running his hands over his wet face and hair to remove the bubbles and excess water. Yu had the suspicion he did all this to remove the tears from his eyes.

"It sounds as though what he needs to understand is that who he is, is enough." Yu muttered, leaning against the railing with his handful of clothes.

"It's going to be hard to convince him that when he hasn't accomplished anything he needed to. Forget saving the world," Kaoru waved his hand around, flicking bubbles onto the wall, "it's the things that he sets out and wants to accomplish that have always gone up in a puff of smoke. School, POOF! A potential boyfriend, POOF! A best friend, POOF! A proud father…poof." Kaoru choked, turning his head away from Yu and facing the wall. He took a deep breath and continued softly. "He just wants something to ground him, to make him feel like he's worth it. Heavens! The more I think about it and try to explain it the more confusing, complicated and…totally impossible it all sounds." He sighed.

"We have a big day tomorrow; I need to start looking for a job and so do you if you are intending to stay. We need to get you new clothes and one of those hair colours in a bottle. Do you know how to colour hair?" at Kaoru's raised eyebrow Yu continued, "of course you do. I planned on seeing Kanji tomorrow anyway, hopefully we can suss out what he really needs. I would have seen him today, but the day was busier than I expected it to be. We will just have to do this one step at a time." Yu said, handing Kaoru (aka Shadow Kanji) a towel from the rail he was leaning on, just as Kaoru pulled the plug and started to rinse off the excess bubbled clinging to his skin and hair. Yu turned around as the bubbles began to vanish and more skin magically appeared. As he turned he noticed a pile of police clothes on the floor. At closer look he could see that they were actually neatly folded, the clothes just seemed to bulge as they had to be folded so many times to fit neatly in the corner.

"Do you want me to bin the cop clothes?" he asked, still not turning around. He felt a tap on his shoulder, which he wasn't expecting at all. He jumped and turned at the same time, ending up with the taller Kaoru's amused face inches from his own. Kaoru lifted a dainty hand to gently caress Yu's left cheek, a sweet smile on his lips. Wow, Kaoru's fingertips were so soft…huh?

"It's no wonder."

"Huh?" Yu asked, voicing his confusion before Kaoru removed his hand.

"I'll keep them luv, I'm sure I can turn them into something useful." His eyes suddenly glowed with happiness as he noticed the clothes Yu had brought him.

"Oh! Darling are these for me? Oh please let me put them on now. I can't wait to see how they fit!" he squealed, hands clasped in front of his chest in glee. Yu wasn't sure he understood how clothes could make a man so excited, but he knew that it was a part of how Kaoru and Kanji were. Everyone has their thing, and Yu was happy that he/they was happy.

"Sweetie?" Yu snapped out of his thoughts when he saw Kaoru standing in front of him, a slight blush on his face. The clothes had somehow managed to transfer from himself to Kaoru without him even being aware of it.

"I'm grateful for the clothes and all of the other things you have done for me…" Yu thought that that was all Kaoru had to say until the taller boy shut his eyes in embarrassment, turning his head away and clutching his new clothes to his chest. " but could you please give a girl a little privacy? I'm just not prepared to go there yet!" Kaoru exclaimed.

It took Yu a couple of seconds to realise that he was no longer in the bathroom. Kaoru had pushed him out of the door when his feet had refused to catch up to his brain. He felt a little embarrassed himself that he hadn't got the hint sooner. After the shame wore off he smirked to himself. Obviously Kaoru _wasn't_ as confident with nudity as he had originally thought.

He walked over to the window where he had a pretty good view of the brick wall that belonged to the neighbour's house. Nice. The sun was beginning to set; a fair amount of time had passed since Kaoru had arrived. He supposed he had better get something to eat before it got too late.

Nanako, being the angel that she was, had learnt to make boxed lunches and had made him one as a gift for his first night in the new house. There looked to be plenty in there for the both of them. Obviously she had learnt some tips from her big bro when he used to cook for her. It made him so proud.

He went downstairs and set the table for the both of them. As he was pouring out the drinks he started to wonder where Kaoru had gotten to. Maybe his clothes didn't fit?

He entered the lounge room and was about to climb up the stairs when he saw Kaoru slumped halfway up the stairs, fast asleep, his head resting on his arms a couple of stairs up. The poor guy had had a long day. Yu was about to pick him up when he realised…only one bed.


	4. Chapter 4

Merry Christmas to all my followers! Here is the second chapter of the Christmas bundle. Enjoy your gift.

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Yu sighed, looking at the deeply asleep Kaoru who seemed strangely comfortable on the stairs. He had been through a lot today; it was really no wonder that he fell asleep there of all places and so quickly at that. Yu guessed it would just be dinner for one now. He looked over to the sofa. Meh, it would have to do, it didn't look that bad after all. Kaoru could have the bed upstairs.

It was a bit of a struggle getting Kaoru back up the stairs, but soon Yu had him resting on his newly made bed. Yu sighed, Kaoru didn't have any pyjamas yet and there were far too many clichés about boys undressing other boys when one is asleep. Besides, he had been so happy to get the clothes he was wearing; he didn't want to wake him up trying to take them off him again.

Kaoru mumbled under his breath but stayed fast asleep as Yu pulled back the blankets from underneath him and covered him up with them. Yu then grabbed the spare blanket and a couple of pillows and proceeded to trudge back downstairs, suddenly feeling very tired himself.

He then remembered, before he could go to sleep, he would have to clean up the kitchen where he had left out food for the both of them. As he wrapped the two plates in glad wrap and placed them in the fridge with the two drinks, he nibbled at one of the rice balls Nanako had made for his dinner. He figured that he had better eat something so that he wouldn't be starving in the middle of the night.

As he settled himself on the two-seater with his legs tucked up, he realised that it was actually cosier than he thought. He felt all snug and secure, curled up on his side, wrapped up in a soft blanket and head smooshed into a squishy pillow. He did, however, give the TV a furtive glance before he felt comfortable enough to sleep.

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He woke up at his usual time of 7am, his body clock refusing to let him sleep any longer. This was ideal as he had a lot to do today and he knew that time would fly away from them. He was just about to open the fridge to get out last night's leftovers when he was glomped from behind.

"Morning senpai, I made you a coffee. I didn't put any sugar in it." His arms wrapped around Yu's middle and his head rested on his right shoulder, looking at what he was doing.

"Thanks Kanji-um Kaoru…sorry. Here, "Yu said, handing a plate to Kaoru, "this was dinner from last night. I think we were both too tired to eat it though." Kaoru smiled apologetically.

"I'm sorry. The bath was so lovely and the clothes you gave me were so snug. I just couldn't help it." The clothes did look good on him, though the jeans were a little too short and the shirt a touch tight. The latter didn't matter though as tight clothes suited the buff man. "Thank you for moving me to the bed though, the stairs might not have been so comfortable in the long run." Kaoru gave him a playful smack on the shoulder. It looked really odd as Kanji would usually either do nothing or go all out on someone. Kaoru was centred; Yu had a feeling that it was one of the things that Kanji needed. "Next time dump me on the sofa! It's your house remember?" Yu laughed, was that all?

"You weren't feeling the best yesterday. The rules don't apply."

"Hmm." Kaoru wrapped his hands around what appeared to be a hot chocolate and sipped it, before picking at and moving things around his plate.

"Kaoru, are you not hungry? You didn't eat anything last night so I figured…" Yu trailed off, concerned.

"I'm sorry. At least I won't eat you out of house and home." Kaoru laughed half-heartedly.

Yu could tell that something wasn't quite right but didn't ask. Kaoru would tell him if he needed to.

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After Yu had gotten dressed and had found Kaoru a hat ("OMG- I'm gonna look so lame!") and a pair of sunglasses ("now we're talking! Hello῀ handsome!") they walked to Junes, which wasn't far from his new apartment. They would have to take care of things quickly. They didn't need Yosuke or Teddie to see them before they were prepared and ready.

They started off at the chemist as they were least likely to be spotted there. It gave them a bit more time to give Kaoru a stronger identity.

"So…who are you?"

"Well, duh hunny! We met before a couple of times, remember? Shadow Kanji! Handsome hunk here to save both my life and Kanji's (aka Kaoru). Hm, I can't go blonde again…it's too obvious. There is only so much I can do with my black hair in this time frame. I guess I could manage brunette, I might just grow my hair out as well, I have always wanted longer hair." Kaoru picked up what he needed and put it in the basket Yu was holding. Yu rolled his eyes.

"Don't get cheeky. I meant you need to create an identity for yourself. What's you last name?" Yu prompted.

"Um…Mikkito?"

"…Good enough. Why are you in Inaba?" Kaoru got into it.

"I've just moved here from the city, I met you on the train. It's my first time living out of home, so you said that I could be your roommate until I got used to being independent. I wanted to experience what it was like living and working in a quiet town. It would be easier for me to learn new skills in a relaxed environment."

"That's pretty good; you must have thought it through when you were in the bath right?"

"Of course senpai, why waste the time? I also thought about what job I should get. First I thought that maybe I could be a hairdresser, but I don't think the people here would hire me. But I could work in a clothes store. I'd give good advice and I could learn new skills quickly. Do you think that there might be a suitable place in this complex somewhere?"

"We'll have to have a look." Yu knew that there was a clothing department, but maybe there was somewhere that focused more on teen fashion. They would have to shop somewhere like that next anyway, so that they could get some new, suitable clothes for Kaoru.

"What about you, you mentioned that you were getting a job as well. What sort of place were you thinking of?" As they paid at the checkout, Yu was lost in thought. He knew that he was open enough to try anything, why not put that to good use.

"Just give me a minute; I'll suss things out with my uncle."

"Kay!"

Once outside the store and in the mall, Yu reached into his pocket for his mobile, calling up Dojima on his whilst Kaoru played with his nails. He needed to know where Kanji worked; maybe he could get close to him there.

"Hello, Dojima speaking."

"Hey Dojima, its Yu."

"Oh hey, what was you first night in your new house like?"

"Um…different, but I'll get used to it. Tell Nanako that her bento was delish."

"Hey Nanako! Big Bro liked your boxed lunch!" he called out.

"Yay! Thanks Big Bro!" he heard muffled through the phone.

"She says thank you. Anyway, what do you need?"

"I was wondering if you know where Kanji works, I wanted to catch up with him today."

"He unloads trucks at Junes. It's the only place in town that would hire him with his reputation. Poor kid, to do backbreaking work at his age... Yu, just don't go bothering him ok. You don't want to get him in trouble with his boss."

"Gotcha, where do I find the main office?"

"I know it's on the ground floor somewhere. Don't get run over!"

"Kay, thanks Dojima. Bye." Click. As he tucked him phone away he asked, "Hey Kaoru, do you know where Kanji is? It would be easier if I could chat to him before I make up my mind. I know what he does…but I don't know where to find him." He explained.

"Hunny," Kaoru put his hands on his hips and gave him an amused look. "I may be Kanji's shadow, but I don't come with a GPS tracking system."

"Right…do you have any useful skills?" Yu joked. Kaoru pouted and gave Yu another playful smack.

"Watch it senpai, I could still beat you up if I had to."

"I'd like to see you try." Yu raised his arms, karate style, ready to attack. Kaoru poked him with his index finger in the forehead, watching in mock amusement as Yu proceeded to swoon in pain.

"Ha ha, very funny. Soo? Where's Kanji working?"

"He unloads trucks downstairs. Like, hard labour."

"Poor sweetie! I bet no one else would hire him." He added.

"How did you know that?" Yu asked, maybe he had heard the phone conversation.

"I may not have a GPS but I _have_ got a kind of ESP. I can tell how Kanji feels, what he thinks about certain things. He's hurt deep knowing that no one wants to give him a chance… story of our lives." He added sadly.

"Sniff sniff, sniff sniff."

Kanji jumped, hand clutching his chest in a rather girly way, grasping at Yu's hand with the other in shock.

"I think someone is _**sniffing**_ me!"


End file.
